Sun and Snow

In a span of a few short weeks this winter, Benjamin got to visit with sun and snow.... Stay tuned for some exciting news updates, as the blog may be moving....

Sun/Snow (Jan/Feb 2012)

Benjamin's new skill

We think he picked this one up from Cousin Ez. Not sure that we're thrilled by it...

Halloween!

Benjamin had a great Halloween weekend. On Thursday he had his parade at school; Friday, we went to Hillaween @ Eastern Market; Saturday he had his first piece of candy (a lollipop); and Sunday he rode around the neighborhood looking at all the dressed up kids and decorated houses.

Here are some pics from each of the festivities, including carving a pumpkin the weekend before.

Halloween 2010

A Few Fun Things

We've been remiss and so here are several updates.

Two weeks ago we went apple picking at Stribling Orchard in VA, the same place we went last year. Link to that album is below.

This weekend, Benjamin got his first tricyle, a Kettler one that mom and dad can push him on. Even though his feet don't yet reach the peddles, and his negligent parents have yet to get him a helmet, he had a good time trying it out yesterday. And as you can see from the pics below, the box it came in was pretty fun too.

And videos of a bunch of stuff are coming soon once Dan edits them.

Apple Picking 2010

Tricycle (and Box)

First Hair Cut!

Benjamin got his first hair cut today and then spent the afternoon with Great Aunt Ellen and Uncle Allan, who were responsible for the yummy chocolate chip cookie Benj enjoyed after his hair cut.

First Hair Cut

Making a Splash

Benjamin is always splashing around in the tub or his little pool, but last weekend when temps hit 90+ (yes, it is only June...), we introduced him to a whole new world: the splash park. Just a mere 15 minutes away in a close-in Virginia suburb is a park that has everything - fountains, sand, and swings. What more could a boy (and his parents) want? The pictures do not show just how much fun Benj had, but needless to say, he had a blast.

In other news, Benjamin has gotten about 6 teeth in the last month or so and is working on cutting his 2nd (or possibly 3rd - it's hard to tell) molar. The molars are killer on everyone, so hopefully they'll come through already, and we'll all be done with it. He has practically mastered walking and has moved on to attempting to run, as well as climbing on anything and everything (like our entertainment center). Boys will be boys...

Splashin'

A Few More Firsts

Benjamin has had quite an eventful few days.

This past Friday, he had his one year doctor's appointment. He now weighs 23 lbs., 14 oz. and is 30 inches tall. His head continues to be in the 90th percentile :-) He got lots of shots and even had blood drawn, but he rallied like a champ and had a great weekend with his Grandpa Jim, Grandma Rhonda, Aunts Ali and Marissa, and little cousin TJ (pictures to follow).

We have previously reported that he was close to walking and his birthday present from Aunt Ali seemed to push him over the edge. It was pretty clear that Benjamin was ready to walk, he just didn't yet have the confidence to do so. Focusing on the basketball distracted him to take a few steps on Sunday afternoon and since then, he's been getting more and more bold! The video below is a compilation of Benjamin's steps from Sunday and Monday.

Benji Walks! from bnzvideo on Vimeo.

A Weekend of Firsts

Benjamin had quite a weekend to celebrate his first year of life!

On Friday (his actual birthday) we celebrated, just the three of us, by going to the park after school and then having dinner at the brand new Ted's Bulletin restaurant.

Saturday morning Benjamin had his first cup of real milk without any complaint (fingers crossed that drinking milk sans bottle continues to be easy).

Later on Saturday, we had a BBQ with some of Benjamin's little friends, but mostly with our grown up friends that we hadn't seen in awhile. A good time was had by all - including two other firsts: Benjamin's first hot dog (Hebrew National All Beef) and his first piece of cake (with the slight exception of a bite from Ezra's birthday cake last week).

Pictures from the weekend are below with a few more likely to come after our Mothers Day spent at Nats Park. We're also hoping to post a video of Benj with his cake.

B's First Birthday (& Weekend Festivities)

Mexico!

We just got back from our little jaunt to Mexico, where we stayed at the Riu Cancun. Dan and Chrissie had a great time. As for Benjamin? The pics say it all -- he had a blast. Swimming, playing in the sand, eating, and even sleeping. More details (and some videos) to follow -- but we wanted to get the pics up for all to see.

Mexico!

Walking (Sort Of)

So Benjamin pretty much went from zero to sixty in the last 36 hours. He went from taking a few steps while holding our hands to walking across the house with the use of his little walking toy. Chrissie's predicting full-on walking by the time we're back from Mexico next week. Check out the video below.

In other news, today was Chrissie's last day of work! We leave Friday for Mexico, return Wednesday. She will start her new job at FDA on Monday the 12th.

Stay tuned for super cute pics of Benji at the beach!

I walk the line from bnzvideo on Vimeo.

Spring has Sprung!

To celebrate Spring, we took Benjamin to the park on Saturday to try out the swings. He enjoyed them SO much, that we had to return Sunday morning with Cousin Ezra to do some more swinging. Benj is getting over his croup and still has a very runny nose so his excitement is tempered a bit by those issues. We're confident, however, that the next time we swing, there will be more smiles from ear to ear.

Weee!!!

Liftoff!

So after a few weeks of scooting backwards, crawling backwards, scooting along in a seated position (which is quite impressive)... Benjamin has figured out how to crawl forward. He's quite the fan of forward motion.

Crawling from bnzvideo on Vimeo.

Bagels, Bread, and Beef!

Below are some pictures from the last 2 weeks.

Benjamin has discovered bagels, Dan made a gorgeous loaf of bread (challah), and just tonight, Benj tried beef. The (not so) little one is trying his hardest to eat any and all "table" food - whatever he can do with his 2 3/4 teeth (in addition to the bottom 2 - has about 1/2 of his top left and 1/4 of his top right coming through). He's now tried chicken, beef, and cheese, and is all about bread and yogurt too.

Last week we had his 9 month check up - his rate of growth is slowing (21 lbs. 4 oz., "just" the 50th percentile), while his height continues to mystify us (30 inches tall - nearly half way to Chrissie's height - which is the 90th percentile).

Finally, in the pictures below, you'll also see Benjamin finger painting this afternoon with Dan.

Enjoy!

Misc. Late Feb

Christmas/New Years 2009

Below is a link to pictures from Benjamin's first Christmas, ski trip, and New Years. We have several videos to go through as well - and they take a long time to upload - so you will likely see them in drips and drabs.

Enjoy!

December 2009

Clapping

Despite the many pleas (mainly from grandparents), we still haven't sorted through the photos from Christmas and our ski trip. We promise to do so soon.

In the meantime, check out B's new skill. Very impressive.

Clapping! from bnzvideo on Vimeo.

A sunny, warm day in Washington

The last 12 hours have brought quite the snow storm to the greater DC area. While the snow continues to fall, and is supposed to do so for a while longer, we probably have about 10 inches on the ground at last count. Although it took us longer to get Benjamin ready to go outside than we actually spent outside, he appears to love his first snowstorm!

The Blizzard!

Thanksgiving Weekend

The Benj-man doesn't eat turkey yet so his first Thanksgiving involved a lot of turkey bibs, cute outfits, and attention from his grandparents, aunts, and various others. It also included his first Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) ride into NYC to see his (and Dan's) first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. We didn't see a lot of the parade, but SpongeBob SquarePants was a big hit ;)

Thanksgiving 2009